So Close to History

It was almost completely dark where we stood, even though it was daylight outside. I could see a little light streaming in through the bars on the widow. I could feel moisture in the air and it smelled musty and dank.
Our tour guide had taken us into a narrow, underground chamber. There was one window near the entrance as we walked further down into a part of the city that wasn't normally reserved for tourists. This was a part of Edinburgh that most people, at least in present day, never get to see. These tunnels and chambers, also called the South Bridge Vaults were sealed somewhere around the year 1820.
In this moment I feel like I have stepped back in time. As our tour guide tells us another dark story about the plague of 1645, I imagine that I am here all alone in this place. The voices around me all but disappear and the light fades as I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the tunnels. During this particular plague, there were more dead than alive in the city. There are stories of people whose homes were sealed up with entire families inside because they were infected. I wonder what sounds came from those homes as the city built up again, right on top of them? What horrid smells were down here? My whole body shudders and I open my eyes. I have never felt so close to history as in this moment.
We are being led out of this dark graveyard and I am relieved to see the sky above, no matter how dreary it might look. I can’t imaging spending any more time below the city. The dark feeling I had while we heard stories of ghosts from another time has only momentarily passed. We are outside now, in front of Edinburgh Castle. It is here that I hear stories of witches from long ago.
Between the 1400’s and the 1800’s, witchcraft becomes widely recognized and punished. More than 4,000 will lose their lives because of such accusations. The story goes, that if you were accused of witchcraft, you were taken to Castlehill and put on trial. It was not a trial like you and I know. They would tie you up and throw you in a loch. If you sank to the bottom and drowned you would be deemed innocent. If you floated to the top, it was decided that you were indeed a witch and you were burned alive.
Our tour lasts nearly two hours and I am mesmerized the entire time. I feel like I am in another time, reliving the stories that I have been told. The history of this city envelops me at every turn and I relish it. I will never forget the foreboding of this once, very dark city.